The judicial magistrate court in Kozhikode on Tuesday found controversial entrepreneur Saritha S. Nair guilty in a cheating case related to the setting up of solar panels.
The case pertains to a cheating complaint filed by Abdul Majeed of St Vincent Colony, Kozhikode. He had accused Saritha of cheating him of Rs 42.70 lakh after promising to install solar panels at his residence and office.
Majeed was also allegedly offered the franchises of their firm, Team Solar, for Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram and Wayanad districts. He was also offered partnership in a windmill project.
Saritha is the second accused in the case. Her former partner, Biju Radhakrishnan, is the first accused, and B. Manimon of Kodungalloor, who forged documents, is the third accused.
Though the trial in the case was completed in October 2018, the pronouncement of the verdict was postponed four times till April 2019. Following the arrival of a new magistrate, the arguments were heard again, and the verdict was finally posted for February 2021.
However, the case dragged on after Saritha failed to appear before the court. Following her repeated absence, an arrest warrant was finally issued and she was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram last week.
(This article was first published in onmanorama)
